Zargis extends doctors' reach

Closer to the heart: Canadian physicians using Stamford-based company's CardioScan system to diagnose heart problems from afar

Michael C. Juliano, Staff Writer

Published
11:04 pm EDT, Friday, October 8, 2010

This screen capture shows a Zargis telemedicine cardiology consultation in progress. The Stamford company's revolutionary Bluetooth-enabled stethoscope and sound analysis software allow physicians to capture and record a patient's heartbeat to help diagnose a cardiac problem. less

This screen capture shows a Zargis telemedicine cardiology consultation in progress. The Stamford company's revolutionary Bluetooth-enabled stethoscope and sound analysis software allow physicians to capture and record a patient's heartbeat to help diagnose a cardiac problem. less

Zargis Medical Corp. is helping doctors connect with patients in the far reaches of eastern Canada through the use of its CardioScan telemedicine stethoscope system.

The Stamford-based provider of this technology recently signed an agreement with the Ontario Telemedicine Network for the delivery and testing of the system to allow physicians to remotely check for patients' heart murmurs at the network's 1,100 clinics. The device's main component, the TeleSteth, analyzes sounds in the heart area and then determines whether the murmur warrants further testing.

"Often these clinical sites are located in areas that are more rural and rather than have a drive-in, they have the use of the TeleSteth," said John Kallassy, Zargis's chief executive officer, adding that the TeleSteth may prevent the added cost of EKG testing. "The majority of all heart murmurs are innocent, yet physicians are compelled to refer them to expensive follow-up tests."

TeleSteth transmits the sounds captured by a Bluetooth-enabled wireless stethoscope over an Internet connection, Kallassy said.

"We're really pushing the envelope on technology," he said.

CardioScan, which Zargis, a 12-employee subsidiary of Speedus Corp., developed last year, comes equipped with a StethAssist program for archiving heart murmur sounds so that they may be given to doctors at a later time, Kallassy said.

"It saves travel," he said, adding that it expedites delivery of tests between inner-city medical facilities. "This way, the specialist can listen to a lot more people."

The CardioScan, which is approved for use in 39 countries, is distributed through partnerships with 3M Co. and Siemens Corporate Research.

Telemedicine technology is effective in allowing doctors to examine patients from far away, though it can create a disconnect between patients and physicians, said Al Weisenborn, a medical device consultant from Miami.